Moderate 5.1 quake hits Tibet, no casualties reported

LHASA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A moderate earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale hit northern Tibet early on Thursday, but no casualties have been reported so far. The quake jolted Baingoin County, Nagqu Prefecture at 4:23 a.m., and the epicenter was located at 35.8 north latitude and 88.3 east longitude, according to the China National Seismological Network. The epicenter is sparsely populated with an average altitude of 5,000 meters, and local residents reported feeling almost nothing, said Zhu Quan, head of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Seismological Bureau. The same area was hit by a 5.5-magnitude quake four days ago, and no casualties were reported. These latest quakes were believed to be connected with six quakes exceeding 5.0 magnitude that hit the Tanggula Range region on the Tibet-Qinghai border last month, Zhu... [read full story]